Technology Practices for Instructional Improvement – EDUC 630

Course Description

This course has students research and engage best practices in educational technology usage for the purposes of inclusion in instructional practice for student learning and for assessment of student achievement as a result of instruction. Students practice and demonstrate competency in using productivity tools for professional and pedagogical practice. Further, students will develop means of effectively using technologies for communication and collaboration to improve teaching and learning.

Rationale

Technology usage has been focused on by society at large and educational institutions in particular (higher learning and those in the field) as a solution to perceived problems and deficits in learning. With the advent of computer-mediated communication systems such as the Internet, the pace at which education is expected to adopt technology both as a target of curriculum and as a pedagogical approach to learning has increased. It is vital that educators at all levels understand the role technology plays in the essentialist expectation of educational practice (as a curricular goal), the role technology plays in the actual practice of teaching and learning as an agent of access, and the role technology plays in the assistance in the day-to-day functioning in the profession of education.

Course Assignment

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate will complete four Video Discussions throughout the course. Each video discussion consists of a thread and two replies.  The video thread is the candidate’s response to the instructor’s prompt and the replies are the candidate’s response to another candidate’s thread.  The thread must be a one-minute video post, and the replies can be either video (at least 30 seconds) or written replies (100 words). Each thread must be supported by at least two scholarly sources. Sources for replies are not required. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

Each candidate will conduct a personal self-assessment regarding his/her ability to include technology in his/her classroom instruction.  Once the candidate has assessed areas that need development, he/she will go to the Edutopia link provided and locate three articles that address those areas.  A brief summary of each article will be written and submitted. For each article, the candidate will address three questions in paragraphs of 100-200 words each. (CLO: B, D)

The candidate will design a personal homepage and browse the homepages of other candidates in the course.  The homepage serves as the host for candidate blog entries.  If the candidate has created a blog for a different EDUC course, he/she may continue to use this blog for the EDUC 630 course.  The candidate will need to create a separate page (tab) for the EDUC 630 course content.   (CLO: A, C, D)

The candidate will write a 2-3 page personal philosophy paper regarding the use of technology in education.  The candidate will need to include at least 3 scriptures as biblical support as well as at least two research-based references in their paper. (CLO: B, D)

The candidate will create a brief overview of the ISTE website.  The candidate will identify helpful resources for professional development as well as a short synopsis of the previous year’s ISTE conference. (CLO: B,C)

The candidate will use personal interviews and research to determine how the educator selects appropriate technology for any given objective.  The candidate will then compile the research in an Excel or Word document.  Then, the candidate will use this data to create his/her own checklist for which he/she could validate the selection of technology for a given lesson. (CLO: A)

The candidate will select a lesson in which he/she would like to add a current technology component.  The technology tool must have been developed within the last 5 years. Then, the candidate will develop a lesson that integrates the selected technology and provide a 3-5-minute video recording on the lesson being taught with the new technology component. The candidate will also provide a 200-400-word written explanation addressing two provided prompts. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

The candidate will develop a formative or summative sample using a current technology tool that is less familiar to him/her. The technology tool must have been developed within the last 5 years. The candidate will then video record a 2-5-minute class demonstration in which he/she shows his/her students the sample artifact.  The students will be expected to use the model provided by the teacher to create their own web-based assessment of the lesson material. The candidate will also submit a Word document including a rubric he/she would use for evaluating the assessment and a 100-200-word paragraph describing at least one method in which the assessment activity can be differentiated. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

The candidate will develop an infographic describing the future of technology in the classroom.  (CLO: B, C, D)